The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1887-02-18

Too Many Loopholes Left Open for
Fraud-Oppos0d to Appropriating Mill
ions While the People Are Yet Paying
War Taxes.
WASHINGTON, Feb. 12-President Cleve-
land yesterday sent message to the House
| of Representatives returning without his
| approval the Dependent Pension bill The
| President says that the almost constant
pension legislation since the close of the
war has placed upon the pension rolls $685.
| 763 pensioners of all classes, for whom
S75,oO00O0 has been appropriated for
| the current year, and for whom
$S0S ga, sl1 has been expended from
1861 to 1886 1t IS now pro-
posed to award service pensions to soldiers
| Of all wars at the rate of twelve dollars per
| month. 1t exacts only service for three
| months, without requiring engagement in
battle. or subsection to any actual dangers
| of war. The pension is allowed to men
| who have suffered no injury, loss
| or damage of any kind due to
military service, and includes those
| who never reached the front at
| all. The section of the bill allow
ing this pension is in language so uncer-
| tain as to be subject to unjust and mis-
| chievous application. The person seeking
| the pension must be suffering mental or
| phys disability such as incapacitates
| him from the performance of labor in such
| degree as to render him unable to earn a
| support and must be dependent on daily
| labor for support. Passing on to a consid-
| GRAFTON of their condition the President
| adds:
1t will be observed that there is no liniita.
ton or definition of the incapacitating injury OF
| ailment itself It need only be such degree
| of disability from any cause as renders the
| claimant unable to earn a support by labor 1t
seems to me that the support here mentioned
| as one which can not be earned is a complete
| and entire support, with no diminution on &C
| count of the least impairment of physical or
mental condition. If it had been intended to
| embrace only those who by disease or
| injury were totally unable to labor it would
| have been very easy to express that idea, in
| stead OF recognizing, as is done, degree Of
| such inability. What is support Who is to
determine whether man earns 1t, or has it or
| has it not? Is the Government to enter the
| homes of claimants for pensions, and,
| after an examination of their surround
| 1ngs and circumstances, settle those Qaes-
| tlonSf Snail the Government say to one man
| that his manner of subsistence bv his earnings
| is support, and to another that the things his
| earnings furnish are not support? Any at
tempt however honest, to administer this law
| IA SuCl Luduu0I WOu1u necessarily produce
more unfairness and unjust discrimination and
| give more scope for partisan partiality, and
would result in more perversion of the Gov
| ernments benevolent intentions than the exc
| cution of any statute ought to permit
The President then at some length de-
| scribes the difficulties which would arise in
administering the law without unjust dis
elimination In no case is there any grad
| ing of this pension. Under the pro-
! viso OF the proposed bill permitting per-
sons now receiving pensions to be admit
| ted to the benefits of the act. it is difficult
| to see how those now on the pension roll for
disabilities incurred in the service, and
| which diminish their earning capacity, can
| be denied the pension provided in this bill
| Another condition required by claimants
under this act is that they shall be depend
ent upon their daily labor for support" 1t
| is not required that he should be without
| property, but only that labor should be nee
essary in some degree; nor is it required
| that he should be now receiving support
| from others. Continuing the President says:
There can be no doubt that the race after
pensions offered by the bill would not only slim
ulate weakness and pretended incapacity for
labor, but put further premium on dishonesty
and mendacity. Experience has demonstrated
| that all estimates concerning the probable fHt-
| ure cost of pension list are uncertain and
| unreliable, and always fall below actual
| realization. The Chairman of the
| House Committee on Pensions calcu-
lates that the number of pensioners under the
| bill would be So 105, and the increased cost
| I,767, 1870; this is upon the theory that only
| those who are entirely unable to work would
| be beneficiares. The President gives num-
| Der of illustrations, taken from the records OF
the Pension Office, tending to show that esti-
| mates can not be relied upon in such
| cases.. If none should be pensioned under
this bill except those utterly unable to work. I
am satisfied that the cost stated in the esti-
mate referred to would be many times multi
| Piled and with constant increase from year to
| year. If those partially unable to earn their
| support should be admitted to the privileges of
this bill the probable increase of expense would
| be almost appalling.
can not believe that the vast, peaceful
| army of Union soldiers, who, having contented-
| ly resumed their places in the ordinary avoca-
tions of life, cherish as sacred the mem
| ory of patriotic service, or who, hav-
| ing been disabled by the casualties of
war, justly regard the present pension roll on
| which appear their names, as roll of honor
| desire at this time and in the present exigency
| to be confounded with those who through such
bill as this, are willing to be objects of simple
| charity, and to gain place upon the pension
| II think it may be said that at the close of
| the war of the rebellion every Northern State
/ and great majority of Northern counties and
| cities, were burdened with taxation on account
| OF the large bounties paid our soldiers and the
| bonded debt thereby created still constitutes
| large item in the account of the tax-gatherer
| against the people. Federal taxation, no less
borne by the people than that levied
directly upon their property, is still
maintained at the rate made necessary
| by the exigencies of war If this bill should
become law, with its tremendous addition to
| our pension obligation, I am thoroughly con-
WINGED that further efforts to reduce the Federal
revenue and restore some part of it to our
people will, and perhaps should, be seri.
| ously questioned. 1t has constantly been
cause of pride and congratulation to
the American citizen that his coun-
try is not put to the charge of main
tanning large standing army in time of peace.
Yet we now living under a war tax which
has been tolerated in peaceful times to meet
the obligations incurred in war. But for years
past, in all parts of the country the demand
for the reduction of the burdens of taxation
upon our labor and production has increased in
volume and urgency.
II am not willing to approve measure pre-
senting the objections to which this bill is sub
ject, and which, moreover will have the effect
OF disappointing the expectation of the people
ana tnelr desire ana nope for relief from war
taxation in time of peace"
The President closes by saying:
I" The evil threatened by this bill is in my
opinion. such that, charged with great respon-
sibility in behalf of the people, not do 9TH
erwise than to bringto the consideration of this
measure my best efforts of thought and judg-
ment and perform my constitutional duty in re-
lation thereto, regardless of all consequences,
except such as appear to me to be related to
the best and highest interests Of the country
Charged with Mayor Bowman's Murder.
ST. LOUIS, Feb. 12.-On the statement OF
two men arrested in East st. Louis for
stealing cars, George w. Voice, member
of the police of that city, has been placed
under arrest charged with the murder of
Mayor Bowman, who was assassnated in
front of his home on the evening of No
vemuer %, 1885. They declared that they
saw Voice shoot Bowman. Voice has been
lodged in Jail at Belleville, Ill He has
been known as hard character, and is
said to have killed man five years ago.
The Conference Committee on the Anti.